California whitewater, Big Sulphur Creek

The nature scenery of California and the playfulness of the water beats anything. If you've been whitewater rafting and kayaking outside this state you might find the rivers here a bit more challenging, so you'd better keep in mind that lots of rivers here are not for beginners. The starting location is a short drive from Clearlake, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. Great exercise and just being

out on the river for a while are great reasons to come. The Iron Bridge to washed-out crossing stretch of Big Sulphur Creek is 9 miles long and is according to American Whitewater a class IV-V section of whitewater. This

river system has a few good paddling sections and the Iron Bridge to washed-out crossing section is one of them. The Coast Ranges scenery is wonderful. On this section you do get some distance, suitable for an afternoon trip. You might be into whitewater rafting or kayaking or both, doesn't matter, this is an area with plenty of spots for that. There are plenty of hotels here if you want to spend a night, but you'd better reserve in advance

because these hotels fill up quick. The campgrounds here at Big Sulphur Creek are pretty good.

Briefly about the general area: Good hiking is available along the Cadd Fire Trail, and you can spend the day on the
beach at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach. Be careful coming to the Coast Ranges, you might not ever wanna go home again. The good people of Cloverdale like to hang out close by; a spree here wouldn’t be complete without
a trip to nearby Clear Lake State Park. A river like this is too good to miss. A great deal of precipitation falls at Big Sulphur Creek. For the duration of the month of January you get the most rain around here while July is the month with the least amount of precipitation.